| Herman Barron | |
| Birth Date: | 1909 12, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Port Chester, New York |
| Death Place: | Pompano Beach, Florida |
| Status: | Professional |
| Extour: | PGA Tour |
| Prowins: | 14 |
| Pgawins: | 4 |
| Otherwins: | 8 (regular) 2 (senior) |
| Masters: | T13: 1949 |
| Usopen: | T4: 1946 |
| Open: | CUT: 1963 |
| Pga: | T5: 1932 |
Herman Barron (December 23, 1909 - June 11, 1978) was an American professional golfer best known for being the first Jewish golfer to win a PGA Tour event.[1]
Barron was born in Port Chester, New York. He was one of barely a dozen professional golfers who earned their living as touring professionals in the 1930s and 1940s. His first professional win came at the 1934 Philadelphia Open Championship. On February 8, 1942, Barron became the first Jewish golfer to win an official PGA Tour event by winning the Western Open by two strokes over Henry Picard at Phoenix Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona.[1]
Barron was consistently among the Tour's top money winners. His best year came in 1946. In June he won the Philadelphia Inquirer Open, finished tied for fourth in the U.S. Open the following week, and in late July won the All American Open at the Tam O'Shanter Golf Course in Chicago.[2]
Barron played on America's victorious 1947 Ryder Cup team, but was soon forced into retiring as a touring professional due to failing health. For the next 15 years, he held the position of teaching pro at the Fenway Golf Club in Westchester County, New York.[2]
Barron returned to the touring circuit in the early 1960s and won the 1963 Senior PGA Championship.[2] [3]
Barron continued to work as a teaching pro until his death in Pompano Beach, Florida at the age of 68. He played a large role in the development of Israel's first golf course, in Caesarea.[2] He is enshrined in the Westchester Hall of Fame, in the PGA Metropolitan Section Hall of Fame in New York, and in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[4] [2]
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 8, 1942 | Western Open | −8 (69-69-71-67=276) | 2 strokes |  Henry Picard | [5] | |
| 2 | Jun 10, 1946 | Philadelphia Inquirer Open | −3 (72-68-68-69=277) | Playoff | Lew Worsham | [6] [7] | |
| 3 | Jul 28, 1946 | All American Open | −8 (68-71-69-72=280) | 1 stroke | Ellsworth Vines | [8] | |
| 4 | May 9, 1948 | Goodall Round Robin | +38 points | 6 points |  Bobby Locke | [9] [10] |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 3, 1963 | PGA Seniors' Championship | −16 (67-67-69-69=272) | 2 strokes | John Barnum | |
| 2 | Jul 7, 1963 | World Senior Championship | align=center colspan=2 | 3 & 2 | George Evans |
| Tournament | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | WD | WD | WD | ||||
| U.S. Open | T28 | T15 | T31 | T13 | T23 | T14 | T11 | CUT | CUT | |||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||||
| PGA Championship | R16 | QF | R32 | R64 | R64 | R64 | R32 |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T36 | NT | NT | NT | T25 | T17 | T25 | T13 | |||
| U.S. Open | T5 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T4 | T27 | 7 | T27 | ||
| The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | |||||
| PGA Championship | NT | R16 | R16 | R32 | R16 |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T46 | ||||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T50 | CUT | |||||
| The Open Championship | |||||||||||
| PGA Championship | T35 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||
| U.S. Open | |||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | ||||
| PGA Championship | CUT |